Who's Friendly to Solo Travelers?

Most magical travelers rely on Apparition or a broomstick to get them from place to place. The Floo Network and the Knight Bus connect many locations as well. Non-magical beings do not have these options, however, and must rely on more traditional methods of travel such as railroad, automobile, or airplane. Most wizarding world destinations themselves are quite small and can be easily explored on foot. Platform 9 ¾: Nestled magically between Platforms 9 and 10 in King's Cross Station, Platform 9 ¾ provides a jumping-off point for adventures in the north. The Hogwarts Express leaves from this platform every September 1 at 11 A.M. on the dot and chugs along to Hogsmeade. Non-magical travelers run the risk of painful injury--not to mention acute embarrassment--if they attempt to access the platform in the usual way: running into the apparently solid wall at high speed. Since there's no other way through, however, this is a risk one will have to take. St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries: If the attempt to get onto Platform 9 ¾ fails, a side trip to St. Mungo's Hospital might be in order. Bruises and broken bones are easily dealt with by the Healers here. In fact, they're used to far more interesting illnesses and injuries, including dragon pox and werewolf bites. St. Mungo's is housed in a disused department store called Purge and Dowse Ltd. Entrance to the hospital is through the plate-glass display window and past the dilapidated mannequin. Remember that non-magical visitors are quite likely to be treated with a Memory Charm along with a healing potion or two, in which case they won't remember anything at all. The tearoom and hospital shop are located on the fifth floor. Visitors taking the stairs will do well to avoid talking to the portraits of ancient healers hanging there, as they tend to diagnose wildly and without warning.

The Burrow: Nestled in the rolling hills of Devon near the town of Ottery St. Catchpole is the magical homestead of the Weasley family. Molly Weasley welcomes all comers into her home with smiles and bread fresh from the oven. The Burrow stands four or five stories tall in the midst of a wild and magical garden infested with gnomes. The exact height is a bit difficult to determine, since the entire structure is held together by magic. One gets the impression that originally the Burrow may have been a single-story barn or shed, but many rooms and levels have been added that now jut out at interesting and improbable angles. No one feels like a stranger for long at the Burrow, but there is a ghoul in the attic and Molly does occasionally insist that everyone join her listening to long Celestina Warbeck concerts on the Wizarding Wireless. Be that as it may, the Burrow is easily one of the most inviting homes in the wizarding community. Spinner's End: The same cannot be said for the home of Severus Snape. Snape's is a small, nondescript row house lost in the crooked streets of a bleak mill town. Why this dreary destination has become such a favorite of female tourists is a mystery. Do not expect to be welcomed by this home's inhabitants or even acknowledged at all should you choose to knock. Travelers are advised to move on to happier locales as soon as possible. Number four, Privet Drive: This neat and tidy house in Little Whinging, Surrey, is famous as the home where Harry Potter grew up. However, as a tourist destination it leaves much to be desired. Number four looks pretty much like number three and number five. In fact, it looks pretty much like all the other neat and tidy houses up and down the entire street. It is difficult to imagine that The Boy Who Lived could have survived for 10 years in this decidedly mundane, non-magical home. Magical travelers will quickly find themselves yearning for more enchanting surroundings and mount their brooms, fling out their arms for the Knight Bus, or simply Apparate away in search of adventure.

To enjoy a spirited game of Quidditch, one must trek out onto a deserted moor to visit one of the pitches where the professional teams play. The British and Irish League includes thirteen teams, including the famous Holyhead Harpies, an all-witch team led by the brilliant but dangerous Gwenog Jones. Tickets to matches may be purchased at the Ministry of Magic in London (Department of Magical Games and Sports, level seven) or at the gate. Quidditch, which resembles football but is played on broomsticks hundreds of feet in the air, is enough to delight wizard and non-wizard alike. Yet the Quidditch stadiums are interesting places to visit in their own right. Each stadium is unique and has its own heritage and lore. In 1884, for example, a Golden Snitch escaped from a match on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall and is said to be living wild on the moor to this day. A brand new stadium has been built at Exmoor in Devon. The problems surrounding the ill-advised use of an invisibility charm on the stadium have now been resolved, and Re-Visibilty Spectacles are no longer required, although a non-magical visitor may find himself lost in the special Ministry of Magic fog that has been used of late to hide the structure. A similar tactic may have to be used at the stadium on the Yorkshire moors, as non-magical folks have been drawn to the sound of cheering on more than one occasion.

Located just off Charing Cross Road, Diagon Alley is London's finest source for a wizard's every need. Flourish and Blott's, the bookseller, entices customers with shelves and displays of magical tomes of all shapes and sizes. (Some of the noisier titles add a whole new meaning to the term volume, and the less said about The Monster Book of Monsters, the better). Witches and wizards have been purchasing their wands from Ollivanders for the past 2,000 years. An ice-cream sundae eaten under the brightly colored umbrellas of Florean Fortesque's Ice Cream Parlor is a tradition for wizarding families when they're in London, and with good reason. Recently, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes has opened at No. 93. A more delightful, amusing, and dangerous shop one can scarcely imagine. No visitor to Diagon Alley should miss a chance to visit, if only to stroke the Pigmy Puffs or purchase a few of Fred and George Weasley's fireworks. Around Diagon Alley Gringotts Wizarding Bank: Not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach, a cart ride along miles of ancient track into the underground vaults of Gringott's is worth sacrificing one's lunch for. Who knew that such wonders existed deep beneath the streets of London? Be on the lookout for dragons and sphinxes, both of which are rumored to guard the high-security vaults. Money exchange from non-wizarding currency to galleons is available, if one is willing to deal with goblins on money matters. Tip: Take what they give and ask no questions. The Leaky Cauldron: Tom the Barkeeper welcomes thirsty travelers to this tiny pub on Charing Cross Road. Founded in the 1500s by Daisy Dodderidge to provide a passageway between the Muggle and wizarding worlds, The Leaky Cauldron is famous for serving up drinks and cheerful company as well as for providing a gateway through its back entrance to Diagon Alley. Rooms are available by the night or by the week. Knockturn Alley: The Dark Arts are frowned upon, of course, but one may still find the need to purchase items like shrunken heads or cursed daggers strictly for research purposes. If so, Knockturn Alley is the place to shop. Located down a side street off Diagon Alley near Gringotts, Knockturn Alley is dominated by the infamous Borgin and Burkes, where cursed and Dark Magic items are bought and sold. Travelers are advised not to venture into Knockturn Alley alone or after dark...or at all, really. Getting There One enters Diagon Alley by way of The Leaky Cauldron pub, which is located between a bookshop and a record store on Charing Cross Road. The Leaky Cauldron is connected to the Floo Network (Floo-word: Diagon Alley) and is a regular stop for the Knight Bus. Non-magical visitors should find a witch or wizard to help them along or they are not likely to be able to see The Leaky Cauldron at all. Access to Diagon Alley from the pub is through a back exit and a magical gateway set into a brick wall.